The present invention relates to the field of cables, lines and the like, and more particularly to devices and methods for adjusting the length of a working cable or line without having to cut or knot it, particularly during operation, when it is not convenient, expedient or possible to shorten the cable or line by cutting and reterminating.
Applications exist wherein it is desirable to shorten the length of a working cable or line without having to cut or knot it. Electrical and telemetry cables are sometimes hung together with a load bearing line, all of great length, from a common instrumental buoy at sea. Typically, the various cables and the strength line are married together as they are fed overboard from a ship. The strength line is intended to support all loads, including the weight of the cables. During the marrying operation, some amount of slack must be built into the electrical and telemetry cables so that all the loads are supported by the taut strength line.
In order for the load bearing line to be effective, the alignment of the cables and line during the marrying operation must occur properly. It is impossible, however, to insure with total certainty that this will occur because the marrying takes place as the cables are going overboard. Any error made early in or accumulated during the evolution of the married assembly cannot be corrected later because the cables are in the water and inaccessible. If the strength line becomes longer than the other cables, the shortest cable will support the entire load.
In this situation, it would be desirable to provide a means for shortening the strength line so as to be shorter than the shortest cable after the marrying operation and thereby perform its load bearing tasks.